Switch stand



22, 1929. sHAFFER 1,732,285

' SWITCH STAND Filed NOV- 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l VII/l/I/l/l ///lllllllllllllllllllllm 10 72 INVENTOR.

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' 4/; ATTORNEYS x Oct. 22, 1929. L. R. SHAFFER SWITCH STAND 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 11, 1927 INVENTOR. Zflfl/mffm; BY

75; ATTORNEYS Patented Get. 22, 1929 PATENTv OFFICE LARKIN R. SHAFFER, F GARLAND, UTAH SWITCH STAND Application filed November 11, 1927.

This invention relates to improvements in switch stands.

One object of the invention is to provide a switch throwing mechanism with improved locking device.

the necessity of providing, as has formerlybeen done, a double crank.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevational view of a switch stand embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the stand shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a portion of the stand, showing a modified safety arrangement, the operating connections for the target rod being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ,structure shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 5. V In the structure illustrated in the present instance, there is a base 10 which is adapted to be fastened to one tie and on said base there is formed a pivot post 11, on which is pivoted the crank member 12, by means of which motion is transmitted from the target 13 to one of the switch points by means of a connecting rod 16, which is adapted to be Specifically, this safety feature comprises means for per1nit- Serial No. 232,531.

secured to a journal pin 14, formed on said crank member. Preferably, the lower portion of the crank member is formed. with an opening into which the pivot post 11 extends, and concentrically arranged with respect to said pivot post there is a socket 15 formed in said crank member, into which the lower end of the target rod extends, so as to bear upon the pivot post 11. This lower portion of the target rod and socket 15 is of rectangular cross section. To fasten the target rod in the crank socket and to secure the connecting rod 16 on the journal member 1 1, a plate 17 is adapted toseat on the upper portion of the latter, and to exhas been thus positioned, keys or pins 18 are placed in suitable cutawayportions in the adjacent surfaces of the target rod and in the surface of the socket 15.

Target rod 13 extends upwardly through the switch stand proper 19, which is mounted on base 10. At the point at which it projects through the upper end of such stand, it has riveted thereto a thimble 20, in the exterior surface of which there are one. or more depressions 21 in which pins 22 are positioned, the ends of these pins extending through the walls of a casing 23 in which is pivoted a switch operating lever 24, and which houses the lever latching mechanism;

' As shown, and as will be understood, target rod 13 projects a considerable distance above casing 23, being adapted to carry suitable signalling devices in accordance with ordinary practices.

Lever 24, pivoted at 25 in the casing 23, may assume a depending position by entering one of a pair of recesses 26 in the table 27 which is fixed to switch stand 19, but when it is desired to throw the switch, said lever is turned on its pivoted center as indicated in dotted lines to clear table 27, whereby casing 23, together with rod 13, may be rotated. In this connection, it might be mentioned that, due to wear on lever 24 by being continuously moved in and out of depressions 26, said lever may be provided with a removable portion 28 at the point where it engages the walls of recesses 26.

tend around the socket 15. After thisplate When lever 24 is in its normal position, that is, in one of recesses 26 in the table, it is adapted to be locked by a lock which may be placed in eye 29 of a hasp-like mem ber 30 in such position that the lock will engage the casing 23 and prevent movement of the lever.- Furthermore, a ring 31, loosely suspended from the cross bar 32 of a pivoted member 33,- having an end projecting out of casing 23, is adapted to lie between the inner end of lever 24 and thimble 20, so that even after the lock has been removed from eye 29, lever 24 can not be lifted until ring 32 has been raised above the inner end of said lever. This may be conveniently done by the operator with the same hand with which he grasps lever 24 by means of pulling down on chaln 34, one of whose ends is attached to lever 24, and whose other end is attached to the projecting portion of member 33. This movement of latch ring 31 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

As a safety feature, it is desired that it be impossible for the switch operating connections to remain in an operative condition in the event of pressure on one of the switch points effecting a rotation of the target arm at a time when the operating lever is in its depending position, that is, at a time when the casing 23 and lever 24 are not in a posi- 'tion to rotate in unison with said connecting rod. To accomplish this object, means are provided in the present instance for perma-v nently locking lever 24 against being raised out of the recess in table 2'? in the event the target rod is operated under the abnormal conditions just outlineds These means may take various form. For instance, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper pin 22 which fastens thimble 20 to casing 23 is adapted to be bent out toward latch ring 31 when the target rod 13, together with said thimble, are rotated at a time when casing 23 is locked against rotation by reason of lever 24 being positioned in one of the slots in table 27. By thus being bentout, said pin 22 lies in the path of latch ring 31, so that the latter can not be raised far enough to permit lever 24 to be lifted. On the other hand, if desired, pins 22, instead of being bendable, may be made of material such as will permit them to be fractured in the event rod 13 is rotated under abnormal conditions. that if the pins are broken, the connection between rod 13 and casing 23 no longer exists, so that even though handle 24 may be lifted and casing 23 rotated, this rotation movement will not be imparted to rod 13. Due to this safety feature, when the switch has been runthrough, the bent pin locks the operating connections so that the switch can not be thrown again until it has been repaired, and in this connection it will be observed that it can not be repaired in a careless manner. Target rod must be returned to its original It will be apparent position in the stand where the notches in the thimble register with the holes in the casing in which the pins 22 are secured. Furthermore, the provision of a pin connection of this character takes practically all the strain off of the switch points, and all portions of the operating connections therefor. At the same time, the connection is sufficiently firm and solid for the purpose of properly operating the switch.

As shown in Figs. 3 to 5, this safety feature need not take the exact form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but, in lieu thereof, the casing 23 may be attached permanently to the target rod 13 and stand 19 may be made in two.

' gether by pins 22 adapted to function in the same fashion as the corresponding pins in the structure of Figs. 1 and 2, said pins normally lying in recesses 21 in one section, with their ends projecting through openings in the other section, said other section also having transverse slots 34 therein, through which the intermediate portions of the pins may be projected when the target rod 13 is operated under abnormal conditions. as will be eX- plainedq For instance, when lever 24 is in a dependingposition, target rod 13, casing 23. lever 24. table 27 and section A of the switch stand are all looked together, so that if said rod is rotated by pressure on one. of the switch points, section A of the stand will rotate with respect to section B, whereupon pins 22 will be pushed out into slots 34. It will be understood that normally the strength of pins 22 in this modification is such as to renderthe sectional switch stand a unitary structure but that, when the rod 13 is operated under abnormal conditions, said pins, be-

ing the weakest elements in the connections,

will function as just described.

What I claim is:

1. In a switch stand, the combination of a target rod adapted to be connected to one of the switch points, a housing for said rod comparatively weak element adapted to be distorted and lock said rod a ainst-subse uent b rotation after the same has been rotated by pressure on said switch point. r

2. In a switch stand, switch point actuating connections comprising a rotatable ;tar-.

get rod, a sleeve on said rod, a casing connected to said rod, a lever connected to said casing, means for preventing movement of said lever to rotate said casing and rod, and means carried by said casing and engage able with said sleeve to lock said rod against subsequent rotation after it has been rotated by pressure on said switch point and independently of said lever. V

3. In a switch stand, switch point actuating connections comprising a rotatable target rod, a casing, an operating lever for rotating said casing and rod, a table for normally preventing movement of said lever, and means interposed between said rod and casing for preventing subsequent rotation of said rod after it has been rotated by pressure on the switch point with said lever in normal position.

4. In a switch stand, switch point actuating connections comprising a rotatable target rod, a casing, an operating lever for rotating said casing and rod, a table for normally preventing movement of said lever, and connections between said rod and casing adapted to be distorted and bind said rod to said casing when the rod is rotated by pressure on the switch point with said lever in normal position.

5. In a switch stand, the combination of a rotatable target rod, a casing, a lever for rotating said casing, a table for normally holding said casing and lever against rotative movement, a sleeve fastened on said rod and formed with a depression in its exterior surface, and distortable pins secured in said casing and lying in the depressions in said sleeve.

6. In a switch stand, the combination of a rotatable target rod adapted to be connected to a switch point, a casing, an operating lever for rotating said casing, a table normally engaged by said lever to hold the latter and the casing against rotative movement, a latch for locking said lever in engagement with said table, and connections between said casing and rod adapted to engage and hold said latch in lever locking position when the rod is rotated by pressure on the switch point with the lever in normal position.

7. In a switch stand, the combination of a rotatable target rod adapted to be connected to a switch point, a casing, an operating lever for rotating said casing and rod, a table with which the lever normally engages to prevent rotation of the rod and casing, a pivoted latch for locking the lever in its normal position, and means operable for holding said latch in its lever locking position when the rod is rotated by movement of the switch point while the lever is in its normal position.

8. In a switch stand, the combination of a rotatable target rod adapted tobe connected to a switch point, an operating lever for rotating said rod, a table with which the lever normally engages to hold the rod against rotation, a normally relatively fixed member, and means adapted to lock the rod to the normally fixed member when said rod is rotated with the lever in its normal tableengaging position.

9. In a switch stand, the combination of a rotatable target rod adapted to be connected to a switch point, an operating lever for rotating said rod, a table with which the lever normally engages to hold the rod against rotation, a normally relatively fixed member, and a distortable pin adapted to be bent and bind said rod to the fixed member when the rod is rotated with the lever'in normal table engaging position.

10. In a switch stand, the combination of a base, a pivot post thereon, a crank rotatably mounted on the post, said crank having a journal at one end for a connecting rod and a socket at its opposite end, and a target rod seated in said socket.

11. In a switch stand, the combinaton of a base, a pivot post thereon, a crank on said pivot post, said crank having a journal at one end for a connecting rod and a socket at its opposite end, a target rodseated in said socket, a connecting rod retaining plate on said journal and socket, and keys extending through said target rod and socket wall and engaging said locking plate to prevent accidental displacement of the latter.

12. In a switch stand, the combination of a base, a pivot post thereon, a crank pivoted on said post and provided with a socket having an opening in the bottom thereof through which said post projects, a target rod in said socket and bearing on said post, means for fastening said rod in the socket, and means for attaching a switch point connecting rod to said crank.

13. Ina switch stand, a casing, an operating lever pivoted in said casing, a rotat able member connected to said casing and lever, said rotatable member being adapted to be connected to a switch point, means for normally holding said lever and casing against movement to rotate said member and actuate said connections, and means carried by said casing capable of permitting said member to be rotated by pressure 011 said switch point with the lever held against movement and adapted to render said connections inoperative.

14. In a switch stand, a casing,,an operating lever pivoted in said casing, a rotatable member adapted to be connected to a switch point, a fixed member normally engaged by said lever to prevent rotation of said rotatable member, and connections between said rotatable member and the casing and lever adapted to render the device inoperative upon movement of said rotatable member by pressure on the switch point While said lever is in normal position.

LARKIN R. SHAFFER. 

